20 years ago, Middleboro Little League was one of the world's best

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro is a baseball town, no doubt about it. But many of today's Middleboro little leaguers are likely unaware of the circumstances that put Middleboro baseball on the map.

GREG DUDEK

MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro is a baseball town, no doubt about it. But many of today's Middleboro little leaguers are likely unaware of the circumstances that put Middleboro baseball on the map.

In 1994, 14 youngsters put on the black and orange uniforms of Middleboro's 12A National all star team and captured the hearts of not only the town of Middleboro, but of an entire region and state, as they defied the odds to play in the Little League World Series.

Yes, it was 20 years ago that the Middleboro all stars made their trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the Little League World Series. Today, the team's many accomplishments, along with a summer's worth of hand-wringing and heart-stopping baseball, are fresh in the minds of the players, coaches, parents and fans who were there to see it all, and the event stands as the biggest sports story in Middleboro history.

"All of the coaches realized how big it was," said team manager Ron Holmgren. "I don't know if the kids did. I think it started with the parade. I think now they realize how big it was. They always talk about it, and watching the Little League World Series always brings back memories."

Middleboro's historic run began as they cruised through district and sectional play, and the team took the turn toward greatness by winning Middleboro Little League's first Massachusetts state championship. Players and fans then endured high-drama at the Eastern Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, as the "Orange Crush" were pushed to the brink before winning three straight elimination games to punch their ticket to the Little League World Series.

From there, the U.S. Eastern Regional champs traveled to the worldwide headquarters of Little League Baseball, Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, as one of the top four teams in the country and one of the top eight teams in the world.

With their unprecedented success, it would take time — as predicted in 1994 — for these little leaguers to truly understand the magnitude of what they had accomplished.

"Ten or 15 years from now, their lives will be cluttered with deadlines, commitments, loans and love," wrote Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy on Middleboro reaching the Little League World Series in the Aug. 21, 1994 edition of the Boston Sunday Globe. "And they'll think back to that blissful week in August 1994 when they were 12 years old and winning baseball games was the only thing that mattered in life."

While Middleboro went 1-2 at Williamsport and fell just short of playing in the U.S. championship game, their journey was reason enough to celebrate.

Behind the big bats and lethal pitching of Brandon "Bear" Brower and Kevin "Bruno" Brower, Middleboro crushed their opponents in districts and sectionals.

At the state tournament, they faced their first real opposition. Their bats had been slowed down by some of the top pitchers in the state, but Middleboro did what great teams do, and they found a way to win.

In the state semifinal against Pittsfield, Middleboro pulled out a 2-1 win in seven innings with Kevin Brower providing that game's heroics by throwing a one-hitter.

The next day, Middleboro captured the state championship with a 3-1 win over Lowell. This time, Kevin's twin brother Brandon led the way on the mound and also hit a two-run home run.

Momentum was building and more and more people were starting to take notice and getting behind the team.

"When you win sectionals and get to the final four of states, you see a ton more people," Holmgren said. "It's weird. Every time you win you see more people. Win again, more people. The place was packed. It was a sea of orange. It was a wild experience."

With the win, the team advanced to Eastern Regionals in Bristol, Conn. And things could not have started any better for Middleboro, as they defeated Oakland, Maryland in their opening game, 18-6, and then shutout Bangor, Maine, 12-0. Against Maine, Brandon Bower pitched a no-hitter and went 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and six RBI.

Middleboro could not hold on to a lead in their third game, suffering their first setback, a 6-5 loss to Millburn Short-Hills, New Jersey.

Facing elimination, Middleboro was unfazed by the pressure, and maybe even came out a little too relaxed in their next game against Maryland, falling behind 4-0 after the first inning.

Middleboro battled back with two-run homers from Brandon Soule and Kevin Brower en route to a 9-4 win. Pitcher Joe Moles picked up the win in relief.

As their reward Middleboro had to face New Jersey in a rematch of the early loss, and they needed a pair of wins to take the East title and move on to Williamsport.

They were up to the task, beating New Jersey, 8-4, in the first game, and in the winner-take-all second game, they cruised to a 7-1 win to claim their spot in the Little League World Series.

In the deciding game, Moles hit a home run to start a four-run fourth inning to blow things open. And Middleboro would have never reached that point if it wasn't for Christian Perry, who contributed a few key hits in the win and went 13-for-23 during the regional tournament.

With all eyes on them — not just from those in attendance, but across the country and around the world with the games televised on ESPN — Middleboro made their way to Williamsport where they took on Springfield, Virginia in their first game. Both teams battled until the very end, but the South champs were able to edge Middleboro 2-1 in eight innings.

It was another hard-fought battle in their next game against Northridge, California, but a Brandon Brower home run was not enough and Middleboro lost their second straight, 6-4.

In their third and final game at Williamsport, Middleboro defeated Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, 11-5. Daryl Bradford came through with a grand slam in the second inning to put Middleboro out in front and a six-run fifth inning put Minnesota away.

"Winning the game against Minnesota, in the Little League World Series, was huge," Holmgren said.

"They were ecstatic that they won a game. Everybody was ecstatic. It was just positive to come away with something. Down there, we have a chance to win the U.S. championship. You don't think about that until you get there."

Finishing as the third best team in the United States, Middleboro returned home as superstars. Parades and dedications filled their schedules for weeks.

"All the towns around here were watching us," Holmgren said. "When we came home it was like 'Oh my God.' For the parade, they were lined up from the rotary to the town hall. It was mind boggling for the players and the coaches.

"People just wanted to see the kids. People couldn't get enough of them. It was just wild. It went on for two or three weeks. It was just bizarre. I don't know any other way to describe it."

During much of the tourney run, there was a great deal of attention on the Brower brothers, and rightfully so. The one-two pitchers and three-four hitters continuously had big moments on the mound and even bigger moments at the plate.

"Kevin and Brandon, they just crushed the ball," Holmgren said. "I don't know how else to describe it. They could hit the ball a long way. Two guys would get on and they would knock them in, mostly with home runs."

Though much attention was fixated on the Browers, Holmgren said it was a team effort that got Middleboro as far as they did. They all had their moments, he said, and each player made a contribution in some form or another to power Middleboro along on their journey.

20 years later, local people may not remember every name of every player on the team, but they remember what that team did for the town.

"The legacy of that team is it brought Middleboro together as a community," Holmgren said. "It also gave little leaguers in Southeastern Massachusetts the belief that they could make it to the Little League Worlds Series. That it's possible.

"When the all-star season starts in the summer every coach points to (the 1994 commemorative plague at the Field of Dreams) and says, 'The '94 team did it.' There is a special feeling about being an all-star in Middleboro, and that legacy is from the '94 team."

While the playing days of the 1994 Little League World Series team are long gone, the impact lives on. As every summer, little leaguers from Middleboro play on the same fields the 1994 team played on, hoping to live out the same dream those 14 kids did 20 years ago.